Spurred on by hearing a description of this on another, I reached for my bottle of Delices de Cartier parfum last night and decided to give it another go.

Generally speaking, I do not like cherry in a fragrance. I bought a bottle of Guerlain’s cherry a number of years ago, because I fell in love with the bottle, but it keeps refilling itself, for the few times I reach for it, it doesn’t seem to go down. Each year Guerlain has tweaked it a little, but I’ve only bought it once.

I find I’m gradually moving into another price range of perfumes. This one I resisted buying because of the price point and because I don’t usually care for cherry. (edt is either $75 or $105 and parfum is $160 — and of course, wouldn’t you know, the only one I liked really was the parfum. I’m not surprised that I like the best. I usually don’t go for parfums as I prefer sprays and I don’t notice a lot of difference, but in this one, the parfum is a spray and there is a difference.) I ended up trading for a partial bottle, which works just fine for me, as it is rare for me to finish a bottle. I’d rather have variety until I know how much I will reach for it.

Cartier’s fragrance, which means Delights, is packaged in one of the most beautiful bottles ever designed — a red and clear, cut-glass bottle topped with a flower centered with a large square crystal. With this fragrance they moved successfully into another fragrance type, that of the fruity/floral gourmand.

It’s notes are Iced Cherry (Morello), Sicilian Bergamot, Pink Pepper, Violet, pink, white and yellow Jasmine, Freesia, Amber, Tonka Bean, Musk, Sandalwood.

Last night, I kept coming back to smell my arm, and it was Delight-ful. At the same time, because it is not something I usually wear, it was a bit jarring to me and didn’t seem like ‘me.’ But I liked it well enough to give it a go again today.

I spritzed a small spritz before heading to the movies, transferred it from one arm to the other, and this time, it was lovely, not jarring. Imagine, when I came home, that my house smelled wonderful. (People always tell me it does, but I’m not able to identify what it is particularly.) This time, what I smelled under it all, was the small spritz I had spritzed, then walked down the hallway carrying the sillage with me. (No one remarked about the fragrance on me. I really do wear fragrance for myself. If I wore enough that others would particularly notice, I’d overwhelm myself.)

Because I loved the way the house smelled, I re-spritzed once more for the day. One tiny spritz — remember this is parfum!

In this fragrance, there is a difference between the edt and the parfum (which is a spray) (there is no edp). I prefer the parfum, as it is richer and deeper. The edt seemed brighter and less ‘real’ if that makes sense.

I don’t know how often I’ll reach for this one. Perhaps the constellation of stars must be in proper alignment. But when it works, it is a wonderful addition to their line that includes Must, Panthere, Le Baiser Du Dragon, and Eau de Cartier (Christine Nagle was the nose for that as well as for Délices — and they are really completely different, but equally compelling.)

I find the cherry neither tart nor sickeningly sweet. If you’ve ever eaten Rainier cherries, which I particularly love, that is the feeling I get from this fragrance. Rainier cherries are large with sweet flesh and are considered the best of the best. The skin is yellow to red. They sell for $1/each in Japan, but lucky for me, they are about $5 a pint here and are available only once a year. Considering that I don’t like cherries and I love these…I wait each year for the season, now that I’ve found them.

It’s no surprise that Cartier which is known for its opulence would choose an opulent cherry as well, for this is not a typical teen cherry…oh no, this is grown up, voluptuous, Delight-ful, complete with spirit and verve. This is a grown up woman, used to the best in life, who loves to experience life. Her gourmand fragrance is not chocolate. You better watch out for her — she’s a little bit saucy and unpredictable, but that only makes her interesting.

I’m with her.

Do you like this one?
Karin

Originally posted 2007-07-17 15:33:44.

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Today’s posting is a joint effort by Ida (Chaya), Elena (Helg), and me. Thanks to both perfumistas for writing!

I asked them to speak to the perfume version of this, as I have not tried it.

>>>>>>>>>

Le Baiser Du Dragon By Cartier , or Kiss of the Dragon, or Dragon’s Kiss, alternatively Dragon’s Breath, is about what you would imagine from the name. It is not warm and fuzzy, but it is warm. It is the temptation of an adult lover. It is not the kiss of innocence.

On me, it is both smoky and incensy, though neither note is listed. I have smelled at least two fragrances in which the smokiness smelled like burnt ashes, which is a negative to me in a fragrance, but this smokiness reminds me of the smoldering look of smoky eyes, a come-hither from the dragon…

Top notes: bitter almond, neroli orange, and gardenia. Heart notes: Woody, powdery: iris, cedar, and muskomes… Earthy base notes of vetiver, patchouli, and benzoin.

This one is another beautiful bottle, with Chinese overtones. In China, of course, the dragon stands for many positive things, unlike Biblical references, and once was the symbol for the emperor. It is one of the signs for the Chinese Zodiac. No one knows the origins of the Chinese dragon, but it likely pre-dates written history. It shows up in art, songs, poetry and literature, as well as architecture.

I bought it as much for the Chinese influence (my youngest two daughters are from China) as I did for the fragrance.

The Chinese dragon (spelled Long in transliteration), is a mythical Chinese creature that also appears in other East Asian cultures, and is also sometimes called the Oriental (or Eastern) dragon. Depicted as a long, snake-like creature with four claws, in contrast to the Western dragon which stands on two legs and which is usually portrayed as evil, it has long been a potent symbol of auspicious power in Chinese folklore and art. Chinese dragons control water in an agricultural water-driven nation. This is the contrast of the western dragon, which controls fire to show its mythical power. The dragon is also the embodiment of the concept of yang (male) and associated with the weather as the bringer of rain and water in general. Its female counterpart is the Chinese phoenix. wikipedia

I chose to purchase the edp. Right now, I can’t remember if they even had a tester of the parfum. I know I chose the edp over the edt, and there must have been a good reason, I just don’t know what it was. Many of my Guerlain’s, I have in edt and in parfum, not the edp, so I’m not an edp-purist by any means.

I first tried this — and tried it and re-tried it — on an Alaskan cruise. I wondered if it would smell the same, taken out of the ship, away from the sea air and the cold…into the heavy heat of tropics. I’m wearing it today in 98 degree weather. I don’t notice that I love it more, or less, depending on if it is cold. It’s my mood. Maybe if I’m in a cold mood, this is the right fragrance, or conversely, if I’m warm and want to be cooler. It’s a chameleon. It is classified as an Oriental fragrance, but it is not like Opium or Obsession, no, no, no, it is not sweetly warm and spicy, this one has a kick to it.

At first spritz, it blasts away at me with a kind of interesting bitterness, that is the incensy/smoky time of it (it is definitely not sweet almond)…then it softens down to something sweet and patchouli-y but with a twist. On the cruise, I’d find I couldn’t smell it, and could barely smell it if I put my nose to my arm. Then, I’d re-spritz it again, passing through the perfume shop to retry it. And, of course, because the rooms were huge, the perfume was never too large for the space. This is one my family likes on me, though no one ever compliments without my asking.

Today, I’m not having any trouble smelling it. If I want to renew the first blitz, I re-spritz, then let it soften again. If I want the softness to reign, I do not respritz. (Interestingly enough, the only other fragrance that I know of that I cannot smell at all is Passage D’Enfer by L’Artisan. I can wear others of their fragrances, but not Passage. Those that like it describe it in terms similar to Dragon, so there might be a common note in them that makes them difficult for me to smell.)

I’m sure most people would say to wear it only at night, but what fun is that! If you can carry it off, wear it (or if the Dragon can carry you away, fly with it)…Let your imagination take flight.

Karin

Chaya adds:

Le Baiser Du Dragon, by Cartier, is one of those fragrances that possesses a different character in the parfum. My supposition would be that it was originally created as one, and that
the other forms followed in turn…

I base this on one of the lessons the amazing Liz Zorn** taught me, a few months back. She said that each fragrance is created by the perfumer with a particular strength or form in mind; that is why, when one experiences something that really ’sings’ , it was likely created for that purpose, originally.

This would explain why many eschew all but the parfum in Baiser. For one thing, the wearer rapidly becomes anosmic, even though the notes listed are potent in their raw forms. For another, the notes aren’t necessarily situated where you’d normally expect to find them.

Top: Neroli, Gardenia, Amaretto accord
Heart: Cedar, Iris
Base : Vetiver, Patchouli, Amber, Benzoin

The opening is fleeting, with neroli barely nodding, and gardenia lasting a bit longer…Amaretto accord? Slightly almondy bitter/sweet, the heart lasts only a few beats as well. We are more accustomed to having iris and gardenia in the middle, but not cedar- and it’s pretty hard to find that. Sometimes you pick up more patch, sometimes more vetiver- but the base is very smooth, a satiny base.

Dragon is a strange choice of appellation. This is a smoky whisper, not dragon breath. Rather snuggly, I find. [Dragons are supposed to represent the union of Heaven and Earth, so, in that sense, it's plausible] The unctuous body cream makes this last a lot longer- layering it helps a lot.

-I/C

** who is Liz Zorn?

Liz Zorn is an indie perfumer of great talent, from Ohio- Parfume Moderne was the name of her store- now it’s called Liz Zorn Perfumes. She is extremely generous about sharing information- like Ayala Sender, Anya Mc Coy, and Jenny van Veenen [or Andy Tauer]. An Aquarian with a dry sense of humor. I love her. I/C

Now I have to hunt up more about her! Karin

And Helg/Elena weighs in:

When dragons and kisses mix, courtesy of jeweler par excellence Cartier, the red Chinese-style box resembling a calligraphy set reveals a prism of notes that combine to make a smooth oriental of unexpected elegance and poise.

The bottle alone with the single black wick immersed into the ambery fluid as a sketchy line amidst a Chinese ideogram is enough to captivate the fantasy.

Contrary to its name that would suggest a pyrocaustic feral gust of sulphur Le Baiser du Dragon (=the dragon’s kiss) in parfum concentration reveals a calculated whisper of deep and velvety tones humming at a low, seductive frequency. In contrast to eau de parfum which explores the quite bitter notes of almond contrapuntal to amber and cedar, in parfum there is no pronounced bitterness but only sublime smoothness and opulence.

The earthiness of wood and vetiver project immediately from the skin allied to sweet ambery tonalities that do not reveal the floral heart too much. Indeed neither is there a distinct top nor heart as proclaimed by official notes that list neroli, gardenia and iris. Instead I would hazard the statement that a candied hesperide peel accord is hiding under the resiny richness providing the element of classicism in the oriental tradition and offering the slightly piquant much needed “air” that a rich perfume would require.

As the parfum dries onto skin there is sensuality, smokiness, and a flight of fancy on a red carpet that transports you to mystical places where benzoin is burned in chalices. Close your eyes and inhale deeply, knowing that your lips will not get scorched by the fiery kiss.

Thanks again to both!
Karin

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I promised I’d get to my incense/patchouli fragrances and that’s what I’ve been doing the past few days.

I always recommend trying a fragrance more than once before buying it. And I also recommend comparing it to things that remind you of it that you are either considering buying or already own. That way you know if it is FBW or more or less a duplication, or if in comparison, you either really like it or you really don’t. I learned this through trial and error. Sometimes the right combination of scents if you are doing a mini sniffa makes a fragrance smell better than it really does. Ditto for the weather or hormones or whatever. I find if I can’t trust a fragrance to smell pretty much the same always, it makes it iffy for me to use it. Because while mostly I might like it, there are days when it can be a scrubber, so it’s not one I’d reach for as often as ones that are always beloved.

I compared Le Baiser Du Dragon By Cartier with L’air du désert marocain by Tauer with NEW BLACK ORCHID by TOM FORD .

Notes for Le Baiser Du Dragon, introduced in 2004, a woody oriental:
Amaretto, Neroli Blossom, Gardenia, Cedarwood, Iris, Bulgarian Rose, Vetiver, Patchouli, Amber, Benzoin

Notes for L’air du désert marocain: The elegant head note is based on typical spicy scents of the Maghreb; coriander and cumin, joined with petitgrain. The warm heart note surprises with the fragrance of rock rose and a hint of jasmine. The body note is full of warm woods such as cedar wood, vetiver brilliantly joined with a fine amber background. Tauer Perfumes

Notes for Black Orchid: top notes of Black Truffle, Ylang, fresh Bergamot, Black Currant.
middle notes of dark florals and rich fruit accords, deepened with Lotus Wood.
base notes of Patchouli, Incense and Vetiver, Vanilla Tears, Balsam and Sandalwood.

The first day I compared BdD with DM. I bought BdD when I was on an Alaskan cruise. I probably tried it 25 times before buying it, because it was so different for me. I also wanted to know that those around me liked it. Re-spritzing does not make it too heavy. At the same time I wondered if it was the combination of the sea air and the cold that made it so delightful.

I found that sometimes I can smell it, and other times, I can’t smell it as well, but because it is so heady until it dries down a bit, I always go easy on it. Plus, it has good sillage, so others can still smell it. I wear it on days when I want a kick as& fragrance. More recently, it didn’t hit me really well, so I set it aside until this trial between fragrances. The two blended together in a nice way in wafting, but if I wanted to smell either separately, I just smelled one arm or the other. I like to do that anyway. It’s more interesting. DM is much sweeter, but also drier, as you’d expect with a fragrance that has the word ‘desert’ in its name.

My husband’s first comment to me that day: you smell good! (And I did.) I will likely do some layering with these two, as I prefer DM, but not to waste the BdD.

Yesterday I compared DM to Black Orchid. I’ve wanted to like Black Orchid. It has many notes that I like in other fragrances. But every time I had tried it, it went odd on me. (Tom Ford, ever crude, has said he put the scent of a man’s crotch in it, and perhaps he did. That funky note is either nearly absent or totally present depending on one’s chemistry.) Nordstrom’s is newly carrying it, and they had samples, which NM did not have when they first debuted it. This is one that I would not buy without making sure, sure, sure. I thought, good! now I can really try it.

I have to say the first time I really liked it was when comparing it to DM. In comparison, Black Orchid (BO to some, pun intended) smells sweeter than it does if I’m not comparing it. I quite liked it. But when I asked my dh which he preferred, he picked DM. So, there you have it. The Black Orchid bottle is elegant. I think I’ll get it anyway and wear it with DM.

I have BdD and Black Orchid on this morning. I asked a friend which she preferred. On first sniff, she liked them both. On second sniff she liked BdD better. On third sniff, now that’s it’s dried down, she said Black Orchid smells better than it did, but she still prefers BdD.

Looks like I’ll have to get a bottle of DM. My decant is not going to be enough. It will be a nice treat for me. I do love the fragrance.

The SAs at Nordstrom’s were really talking about Black Orchid. I agree, in many ways it is a lovely fragrance, especially if it is wearable for you. It would smell great on a man, likely all the time. On me, I’d have to be careful, but that bottle is calling to me.

Do you wear any of these? Which is your favorite? Is one calling to you, but you haven’t decided?

Karin

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